This invention relates to a biologically pure culture of a lactic acid bacterium strain, to a composition containing this strain and to the use of the strain.
European Patent Application Publication No. 199 535 (Gorbach and Goldin) proposes a bacterial strain identified in the first instance as being a Lactobacillus (L.) acidophilus, but then as bearing more of a resemblance to L. casei subs. ramnosus (cf. M. Silva et al. in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 31, No. 8, 1231-1233, 1987)., which shows good adhesion to the cells of the mucus of the small intestine and which lends itself to therapeutic applications. This strain, baptized "strain GG" and lodged in the ATCC (American Type Culture Collection) under No. 53103, may be used in conjunction with a pharmaceutically acceptable support, more particularly in food products, above all in acidified milk products of the yogurt type for example.
Other strains of the same type have long been used in analogous products and with analogous objectives. However, there is a need for particularly high-performance strains of this type which could be clearly identified, which would have indisputable advantages and which would enrich the range of available strains.
The problem addressed by the present invention was to satisfy this need.
To this end, the present invention provides a biologically pure culture of a strain of lactic acid bacterium selected for its affinity for implantation in an intestinal flora, for its ability to adhere to intestinal cells, for its capacity for competitive exclusion of pathogenic bacteria from intestinal cells and for its capacity for immunomodulation and/or reduction of fecal enzymatic activity.
The strain in question is particularly intended for administration to human beings or animals for therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of the gastro-intestinal system, more particularly as an antidiarrhoeic.
The strain may be administered in the form of a biologically pure culture, for example as such, after freezing and/or freeze-drying. The culture in question may comprise, for example, 10.sup.8 to 10.sup.10 viable germs (cfu from the technical English expression "colony forming units") per g for the liquid or frozen form and 10 .sup.9 to 10 .sup.11 cfu/g for the freeze-dried form.
The strain may also be administered in the form of a composition containing the culture and an ingestible support, more particularly a pharmaceutically acceptable support or a food product such as, for example, an acidified milk, more particularly a yogurt or a milk-based powder formulation.